Working with Students in Global Locations
When teaching or interacting with colleagues and students in online situations, faculty should consider the vulnerabilities and dangers to which each participant may be exposed as a result of their place of residence, nationality, or the topic under discussion.
- Students will be learning from all over the world in countries with varying laws and degrees of personal freedom.
- Students are required to comply with the local laws and regulations of the country from which they are learning.
- Faculty should be aware that all communication can be monitored. Students may perceive themselves as being in a high-risk environment. Faculty should ask students what they can do to support their learning.
- Recordings of classes that include student discussion should be the exception and not the norm. Faculty should be extremely cautious and purposeful about recording, storing, and transmitting recordings of class discussions, especially ones in which student identity and students’ opinions are evident. Faculty are urged to employ other methods such as note-taking.
- Faculty are urged to consult with students about potential conflicting issues of equity, accessibility, and vulnerability when interacting with students online. Faculty are urged to make alternative forms of participation possible for students who may not be able to speak openly over the internet.
- Countries with restrictive governments may present barriers for student participation, either generally or on particular topics. Faculty should be aware that there may be reasons for students not to be communicating or responsive from time to time.
- To help with safety, accessibility, time-zone issues, and so on, instructors should consider individual or small group tutorials for students who are located abroad. Faculty should feel free to adjust their weekly working hours to meet students where they may be in terms of time zone.
- The University Learning Center and Student Disability Services are available to all students regardless of location.
Related Resources
- Policy on Student Privacy and Recording of Meetings
- Students may download the university’s VPN service at it.newschool.edu. Please note students may still experience access issues to certain content and websites even with a VPN.
- While this article is addressed to those teaching China-related content, the advice for faculty is relevant to all content areas.
Scheduling and Planning Resources
Time and Date (World Meeting Clock)
Reference
University Policies on Free Exchange of Ideas and Freedom of Artistic Expression